Venus Williams Headlines Full List of 2025 US Open Wild Card Entrants into Bracket

Two-time US Open winner Venus Williams has received a wild-card entry for the 2025 US Open singles bracket as she continues making her comeback to professional tennis at age 45.

Williams was one of eight women named to a wild card spot before the main draw begins on Sunday, Aug. 24.

Williams has competed in 24 prior editions of the US Open, in which she claimed back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001.

She will be the oldest player to enter the singles bracket since Renee Richards, who entered the tournament at age 47 in 1981, according to the International Tennis Federation and the AP's Howard Fendrich.

The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion last played in the U.S. Open singles bracket in 2023, when she was eliminated from the first set after losing in straight sets to Greet Minnen. She then missed the 2024 season while undergoing a procedure to address uterine fibroids.

She made her return to the WTA Tour after 16 months away from professional competition in July during the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., where she defeated No. 35 Peyton Stearns in straight sets.

Prior to that victory, Martina Navratilova was the only woman to have won a tour-level singles match at the age of 45 or older.

Williams was eliminated from the Citi Open with a Round of 16 loss to Magdalena Frech. She followed that up with an appearance at the Cincinnati Open in August, where she was defeated by Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the first round.

She is also set to compete in the mixed doubles championship, in which she earned a wild card entry alongside Reilly Opelka.

The rest of the women's wild card list is highlighted by 16-year-old Julieta Pareja, who currently holds the world's No. 1 juniors ranking.

The men's wild card list meanwhile features 23-year-old Stefan Dostanic, who helped lead Wake Forest to the 2025 NCAA Division I men's tennis national championship this spring.

Caty McNally on the women's side and Emilio Nava on the men's each earned their spots by winning the US Open Wild Card Challenge.

Caroline Garcia, Valentin Royer, Talia Gibson and Tristan Schoolkate received their respective wild card spots through reciprocal agreements with the French and Australian tennis federations, according to the US Open.